Church Decoy Company

The old pill bottles from the pharmacy can be recycled to be used as choke holders when not in use. The caps fit snug, keep water and grime out and can be labeled to let you know what choke size is inside and what brand of gun it goes to. They usually float if the cap is on them which helps in the field. Take'em when they're all cupped up.         dc

One of my favorite parts of hunting is watching the youngsters move into the ranks of hunters. It is always an amazing sight to see the face of a new hunter after he shoots his first duck. I started hunting with an H&R Topper Jr. (now Rossi or New England Arms). My oldest received a Topper JR. as his first gun and now goes into the field with a Charles Daily 20ga. pump. This pump is all black synthetic and has a nice feel for a first pump. It is light weight and hadles well. The slide mechanics are alittle sloppy compared to me Benelli or Remington, but over all a nice little gun. They make it in a youth model which is shorter than the normal models. dc

In the old days of waterfowling, lead was the shot and everyone used the Full choke. Now that Bismuth, Tungsten, Steel and others have taken over, the shot pattern is already tighter than what lead was delivering. To compensate for this, it helps to reduce the restriction by using a Modified choke to help spread the pattern out. Whatever type of shot you are shooting, make sure to go to a shooting range and pattern your gun before the season starts to see how effective your shot/choke combo is performing. Take'em when they're all cupped up. dc

The scorching days of summer are coming to an end and it is time to start thinking about fall hunting. Evening walks and some swimming should have helped us get into "hunting shape" as we ready our gear for the upcoming season. To help lighten the load of my retriever and to help him adjust to the hot weather, I like to brush out the excess hair from his coat before extended training. Make sure he has plenty of fresh water nearby and work him in the evenings. The next item that gets lightened is my boat. It's time for me to take out the mats, carpet, floorboards, tackle boxes, fishing poles, bait buckets, fish finders and anything else that doesn't contribute to duck hunting. It will soon be filled with plenty of other gear, so space is at  a premium. Digging through decoy bags is also something that needs to be done. Decoys peppered with stray shot can be mended, line can be replaced and you would be amazed at what you find in these bags. Exra weights, a hammer that you used for building a blind, rocks ( not sure about their purpose) camo gloves, a thermos, and endless other items. Empty it out, touch up, repair, and restring the decoys so you are ready to go. Next I concentrate on my clothing. Find matching gloves, seperate the early season clothes from the frigid weather gear. I'm not a big fan of waering heavy cold weather gear during the Septemeber Teal season. Go through the pockets and dig out the unnecessary stuff. Go through your blind box and replace the batteries on flashlights, GPS units, weather radios, whatever needs them. Make sure you have a good knife packed away somewhere becuase nobody like to try and gnaw through new decoy line. Clean out the wader pockets and put them on to make sure they still fit. Where them into a creak or shallow lake to make sure they still keep the water out. It feels better finding out that 70 degree water is coming into your waders instead of 50 degree water in the dark. Last but not least, check out your gun or guns and make sure the ammo is in good supply and not corroded. Take the gun out to the skeet range to shake the rust off of yourself and...........Take'em when they're all cupped up!

dc